Description:
<jats:p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of tart cherries on insulin sensitivity (intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test; IPITT), glucose tolerance (intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test; IPGTT), and intracellular signaling (gastrocnemius skeletal muscle) in obese Zucker rats. The rats consumed either a control (n=11) or tart cherry (n=11; 4% cherry powder) diet for 8 wk. Their body weight, fat pad weight, food intake, and fasting glucose and insulin concentrations were not altered by tart cherries. The IPGTT and IPITT were conducted at the end of study and blood glucose concentrations were measured over a 2‐h period. During the IPGTT, the area under the curve for glucose was significantly lower in the cherry group when compared to the control group (16,630 ± 2,181 vs 21,025 ± 1,994 mg/dl•120min; p 蠄 0.05). However, there were no group differences in glucose concentrations during the IPITT. In the skeletal muscle, the serine phosphorylation of AKT was higher in the cherry group than control group. Also, there were no differences between the groups in the phosphorylation of AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK; insulin‐independent protein). These results suggest that tart cherry supplementation improves glucose tolerance and enhances the activation of the intracellular signaling protein AKT in obese Zucker rats.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold><jats:italic>Grant Funding Source</jats:italic></jats:bold><jats:italic>: Cherry Marketing Institute</jats:italic></jats:p>